Forest Conservation & Stewardship

Position Title: Stewardship Coordinator
Organization: Nova Scotia Working Woodlands Trust
Location: Work location is flexible/remote, however the candidate must be willing to travel to the NSWWT office in Caledonia regularly and throughout the province for field work.

• Term of Contract: Full-time, 2 year contract to December 18, 2026 with possibility of extension
• Annual Salary: Starting at $55,000, commensurate with experience

The Nova Scotia Working Woodlands Trust (NSWWT) is an exciting new initiative that marries traditional conservation and small woodland stewardship. We aim to uphold a rich diversity of forest values and provide unique solutions to maintain the long-term stewardship legacy of landowners through ecological forestry and conservation through working forest conservation easements.

We work with landowners to maintain their stewardship legacies and conserve forest health for the benefit of the community, environment, and future land stewards through developing, monitoring, and enforcing community easements. Through working forest conservation easements, we uphold landowner wishes and ultimately help facilitate forest connectivity, carbon storage, and wildlife habitat.

NSWWT is looking forward to growing our stewardship team in 2025 adding capacity to help secure additional hectares of working forest for long-term stewardship.

Job Description: Adding to an existing team, the new Stewardship Coordinator will support engagement with woodland stewards, provide expertise in forest stewardship planning and support the execution of forest carbon inventories. This dynamic role relies on a capability to collaborate with land stewards, forest and conservation professionals; utilizing technical knowledge and experience in biodiversity, silviculture, and land management policies. NSWWT is looking for someone comfortable and skilled working independently in the field and has experience developing ecologically-focused forest stewardship/management plans. The ideal candidate also has excellent interpersonal skills and enjoys engaging and working with land stewards. Under the direction of the Executive Director and the Land Trust Manager, this position will support the management of easement properties and is responsible for the following duties:

• Support the execution of NSWWT’s forest stewardship planning protocol for easement properties in partnership with woodlot service partners.
• Advise landowners on ecological forestry practices, climate adaptive forestry and improved forest management activities through the development of forest stewardship plans.
• Conduct forest carbon inventories on participating woodlots, including supervising seasonal staff and field crews.
• Assess properties for conservation and wildlife habitat zones, old forest delineation, and hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) infestations.
• Assist with completion of annual monitoring of easement properties including (but not limited to); landowner notification; monitoring reports; restoration planning pertaining to the enforcement of easements; maintenance of trails, boundary lines or access points and; organizing logistics for safe and efficient field work.
• Assist with the collection and storage of data including ecological inventory data, GIS and GPS data, photos and the preparation of reports and applications.
• Support administrative tasks such as data entry, survey analysis, and grant reporting.

Educational & Experience Requirements:

Mandatory Qualifications:

• The successful candidate must have minimum bachelor’s degree or technical diploma in forestry, natural resource management, or similar, or equivalent professional experience
• Minimum 2 years’ experience within the forestry or conservation sector preferably working with private landowners or in forest stewardship/management.
• Strong interpersonal skills and exercises sound judgement in decision-making
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to multi-task
• Experience working with GIS software including ArcGIS pro
• Strong communication skills including experience working directly with landowners
• Strong foundational knowledge of NS flora and fauna
• Nova Scotia Class 5 Driver’s license or equivalent

Additional Assets:

• Strong preference to individuals who have completed training in Nova Scotia Forest Ecosystem Classification
• Strong preference for individuals who are registered or eligible to be registered as a forestry professional in Nova Scotia (either forest technician or forester)

Compensation and benefits:

Compensation: Salary for the NSWWT Stewardship Coordinator position starts at $55,000 per year with additions negotiable based on experience and qualifications. The NSWWT offers benefits to all employees and a flexible work schedule.

Other benefits include:

• Annual work gear/clothing allowance
• 13 paid holidays
• Cell phone allowance
• Flexible work schedule
• Cost share on a health benefits package or annual health care spending account
• 3 weeks vacation and bonus vacation between Christmas Day and New Years Day
• Compensation for mileage incurred during work duties
• Generous annual professional development budget
• Fun, innovative and inclusive work environment

Location: Work location is flexible/remote, however the candidate must be willing to travel to the NSWWT office in Caledonia regularly and throughout the province for field work.

Start Date: The position will commence January 6, 2025 (negotiable for the right candidate).

Submission:

To apply, please forward your resume and cover letter to maryjane@medwaycommunityforest.com . Applications must be submitted electronically as a single PDF and will be accepted until the position is filled. Please indicate you saw this posting at GoodWork.ca.

The NSWWT is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applicants from a diversity of backgrounds, or who self-identify as part of an underrepresented group to apply. We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted.